Film Freak Centraltag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-999282957331064452014-07-19T23:01:00-05:00TypePadThe Tarzan Collection - DVD + Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) - DVDstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0168ea36d6b2970c0192ab6ece1e970d2014-07-19T23:01:00-05:002014-07-19T20:02:28-05:00TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932) ***/**** Image B- Sound B+ starring Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith, Maureen O'Sullivan adaptation by Cyril Hume; dialogue by Ivor Novello based on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs directed by W.S. Van Dyke by Bill Chambers As with most "origin" Tarzan films, Tarzan himself is an off-screen promise for the first third of Tarzan the Ape Man, though his famous yodel (which the studio maintains was artificially created) portends his appearance about ten minutes before he actually materializes. Likewise, as with most origin Tarzans, this one has become something of a viewing formality: The basics of Tarzan are pop-culture fundamentals passed down through the generations as if by osmosis, and so any film that aims to tell the story from scratch is bound to seem a little sluggish. It's remarkable, then, that Tarzan the Ape Man, in addition to exhibiting a surprising immunity to the ravages of time, is also mostly spared the contempt born of familiarity. Cutie-pie Maureen O'Sullivan essays the talkies' first Jane, who joins her father James's (C. Aubrey Smith) expedition in Africa and immediately casts a spell on dad's right-hand man, Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton). Once they begin...Bill ChambersThe Jungle Book (1967) [Diamond Edition] - Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0168ea36d6b2970c01a73d73a463970d2014-02-23T00:01:00-05:002014-02-23T01:40:27-05:00click any image to enlarge ***/**** Image C+ Sound A- Extras A story by Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson, Vance Gerry, inspired by the Rudyard Kipling "Mowgli" stories directed by Wolfgang Reitherman by Bill Chambers SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT. The Jungle Book receives only two passing mentions in Neal Gabler's mammoth biography of Walt Disney, even though it has the distinction of being the last animated film Disney lived to produce and ended his career in a commercial triumph to bookend the early success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Gabler's brevity on the subject suggests that The Jungle Book was of little consequence to Disney, but there are clues to the contrary between the lines, such as when Gabler writes tantalizingly about Walt's opinion that early drafts of the script were too "sober." Indeed, he was personally invested in the project to the point of choosing it over his relationship with long-time story man Bill Peet, who'd brought Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories to Disney's attention in the first place. Peet's adaptation was, as Walt saw it, beset by its fidelity to Kipling, and he solidified his vision for lighter-hearted fare by hiring radio icon Phil Harris, whose...Bill ChambersThunder in the Pines (1948)/Jungle Goddess (1948) [George Reeves Double Feature] - DVDtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0168ea36d6b2970c017d42117fae970c2013-03-19T23:01:00-05:002013-03-18T21:18:28-05:00THUNDER IN THE PINES *½/**** Image B+ Sound B+ Extras C starring George Reeves, Ralph Byrd, Greg McClure, Michael Whalen screenplay by Maurice Tombragel directed by Robert Edwards JUNGLE GODDESS */**** Image C- Sound B Extras C starring George Reeves, Ralph Byrd, Wanda McKay, Armida screenplay by Jo Pagano directed by Lewis D. Collins by Alex Jackson Was George Reeves a talented or interesting enough actor to merit VCI digging up a couple of his 1948 demi-features and releasing them on DVD? Without the novelty of him later becoming television's Superman and the rumours of conspiracy surrounding his suicide, there's nothing particularly engaging about the actor. In Thunder in the Pines, it looks like Reeves might be the poor man's Kirk Douglas (whose star was rising at around the same time). The Douglas persona is jovial and heroic, sensitive but manly--essentially, for me at least, he's an idealized father figure. This seems to be what Reeves is going for, but he's only operating at half the wattage. He isn't a star and hasn't the confidence of Douglas, that audacity to dominate the picture whenever he's on-screen. He's just a small fry. RUNNING TIME 60 minutes (Thunder in the Pines) 64...Bill Chambers